Close-up view of the front half of a water buffalo at Mai Chau

Close-up view of the front half of a water buffalo at Mai Chau

A water buffalo tethered at Mai Chau village is seen in a close-up view of his head and front legs. A locally-made fiber harness is tied around the buffalo’s head and large horns.

Water buffalo are mostly gentle creatures used to pull plows and turn soil in preparation for the planting of wet-rice fields. Buffalo also sometimes are eaten at major community feasts. Traditionally, buffalo were a major source of wealth for Southeast Asian families. They still are favored in highland wet-rice areas where neither humans not machinery can move as easily through the deep, sticky mud fields.